2nd of Morning Star, 4E 200

Six months passed in the blink of an eye. Valkyrie's days were a fast-paced, hazy blur of training her skills, traveling Skyrim to recruit more soldiers for the cause of the Dawnguard, and if she was lucky, the occasional mission to hunt down a pack of vampires. As the weeks went by, and the order's numbers steadily began to grow, the Nord couldn't help but feel some sense of pride. She was actually making a difference, helping to drive these bloodsucking monsters back into the shadows. Even if she had yet to encounter the one vampire in particular she was looking for, Valkyrie was content to spend her time training, hunting, and occasionally getting blackout drunk with her fellow Dawnguard soldiers. Also sparring. Sparring was something Valkyrie had become quite good at, and something she happened to be doing right this very second.

"That your best? Huh?"

Valkyrie only sneered in response, dodging a quick flurry of blows from a fellow Nord named Ollrod, before retaliating with a few of her own, each one blocked by the male Nord's arms, except for the last, which managed to make contact with his stomach. Ollrod stumbled back a few feet, hand clutching his gut as he let out an audible growl. Valkyrie only smirked, and the small crowd of their fellow Dawnguard which had gathered to watch continued to whoop, holler and whistle. The two combatants circled each other for a brief moment, before raising their fists once again and charging for one another.

This had become a regular occurrence at Fort Dawnguard in recent weeks. Two soldiers would fight out their frustrations in the sparring pit just outside the castle, and their comrades would watch and often gamble their hard earned gold on who would emerge the victor. It annoyed their dear leader Isran to no end, but he made no real effort to stop them.

Valkyrie made a few quick jabs at Ollrod's head, all of them blocked by the male Nord's burly arms before he retaliated with a headbutt, smashing into Valkyrie's nose and causing her to fall to her backside. Her hand quickly went to her face, and the rage she felt from seeing her own blood sully her fingers made the Nord's jaw twitch. If Ollrod wanted to fight dirty, Valkyrie could certainly oblige. As the male Nord swooped in to attempt to capitalize on his fallen foe, Valkyrie quickly brought up her foot, delivering a swift kick to Ollrod's nether regions.

He stood motionless for a moment, before grabbing his privates and hobbling backwards slowly, his eyes slowly making their way to the back of his head, as Valkyrie rushed to her feet, marching straight to Ollrod and delivering a vicious blow right to the Nord's jaw. The jolt of pain that shot through Valkyrie's hand as a result was well worth the sight of seeing the man fall backwards, spinning in midair and landing face first in the dirt. She quickly descended upon him, grabbing a handful of the man's short hair and pressing his face against the ground, the small crowd of Dawnguard roaring with approval.

"Say it, Ollrod!" Valkyrie shouted in the man's ear.

He groaned with pain, struggling for a bit to get free, but Valkyrie's weight held him down firmly. Or so she thought. After a moment or two, Ollrod managed to get his legs underneath him, slowly rising to his feet with Valkyrie still hanging on to his back. He delivered yet another headbutt, the back of his skull colliding with her chin as she reluctantly let go, dropping to her feet, legs wobbly as Ollrod turned around and resumed his assault.

The male Nord delivered a swift punch to the side of the head, and for a moment, Valkyrie's vision went hazy. Her sense of where she was was slowly fading. but somehow she managed to stay on her feet. Ollrod delivered another blow, connecting with her jaw this time, and the blurriness in Valkyrie's eyes only grew. She had no idea what was happening, but still somehow she stayed standing. That is, until Ollrod began to back up slowly, before charging at her, delivering one final blow to the face that knocked Valkyrie off her feet.

For a moment, there was nothing but darkness. It was almost comforting, but was soon driven away by the vision of several pairs of Dawnguard boots slowly fading into view. The sound of the crowd then made itself known, beating against Valkyrie's eardrums with a ferocity that only added to the throbbing ache in her head. She moved her arms, desperately trying to make it back to her feet as she struggled to remember where she was. She had stepped in the pit, one of the new recruits had run his mouth a little too much, and now here she was, lying on the ground in excruciating pain.

Now she remembered, and the blood boiling fury that captured her senses was soon to make for a very painful awakening for Ollrod. As she slowly rose to her feet, the male Nord had his back turned, attempting to revel in his short lived glory. Valkyrie gritted her teeth.

"Hey asshole!" She shouted, causing Ollrod to spin around, facing her looking as though he'd seen a ghost. Valkyrie spit out a mouthful of blood at the ground, and motioned for the male Nord to come and get her. He growled, raising his fists once more and charging for her. But Valkyrie was ready this time, she ducked Ollrod's inital swing and rushed forward, her shoulder colliding with the male Nord's gut as she tackled him to the ground. Valkyrie quickly climbed on top of Ollrod, delivering a quick succession of blows that the man tried to block, but she was too quick for him. Valkyrie pummeled Ollrod's face into the ground as the Dawnguard cheered on, drawing blood from his nose, blackening one of the man's eyes before he finally relented.

"Alright, alright!" He screamed, his words slurred from a likely dislocated jaw. "I give! I give!"

The Dawnguard roared with satisfaction, and Valkyrie rose back to her feet, planting her boot on Ollrod's chest and raising a fist high in the air as she soaked in the cheers and praise from her fellow Dawnguard soldiers. Her head may have been throbbing, the taste of blood in her mouth would likely be there for hours, but Valkyrie felt good. The sunlight shining down on her, her comrades cheering her victory. Suddenly, Ollrod stumbled to his feet, groaning with pain every inch he rose, and the crowd of soldiers suddenly went deathly quiet. There was a short, uncomfortable silence before the male Nord suddenly put forth his open hand.

"Good fight."

Valkyrie nodded, accepting the gesture as the applause continued and the two made beelines in opposite directions. She made her way over to Agmaer, miraculously still alive after all the months that had passed, who smirked. "Still undefeated, I see."

"Are you surprised?" Valkyrie replied, massaging her temples, attempting desperately to coax some of the pain in her head away.

"Not at all," Agmaer chuckled. "Honestly, I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did."

She simply laughed, spitting out another mouthful of blood to the ground. "I have to give him credit, though. Man hits hard."

"True, but you just don't stay down," he remarked, eyeing Valkyrie with a mixture of admiration and concern. "He did a number on you, though."

"I know," Valkyrie groaned. "I'm gonna have to go see Durak or Celann again."

"You won't have to look very far."

Valkyrie and Agmaer turned around to to face the source of the voice that had interjected itself into the conversation, none other than Celann himself, the Breton who had greeted Valkyrie at the doors of the castle her first day. She gave him a sheepish grin as the Breton shook his head.

"I see you've been keeping yourself busy, Valkyrie."

"As always," she shrugged. "Do you think you could... you know..." she motioned to her face, nose broken, dried blood staining her nostrils and the corners of her mouth. Celann sighed.

"Prevention is the best cure, you know," the Breton commented, a glowing ball of light forming in his hand. Valkyrie smiled, the wonders of Restoration magic once again healing her wounds. "You and the others don't have to keep having these fights."

"But Celann," Valkyrie replied with a smirk, "How else am I going to inflate my ego?"

"Hmph," he grunted, moving his hand slowly over Valkyrie's face. "If your ego is so important, maybe your talents would be best served somewhere other than the Dawnguard."

"I'm joking," she groaned. "I swear, Isran's lack of humor is rubbing off on you and Durak more and more lately."

"Maybe it's because you come to see us for healing more than anyone else," Celann retorted, and Valkyrie for once had no response. "Restoration magic can only do so much, you know. Every time we send you on a hunting mission, you come back looking like you're about to drop dead." She crossed her arms. Celann wasn't wrong, of course, but what was she supposed to do? Everyone in the Dawnguard knew that what they did was extremely dangerous. Injuries, and possibly even death were always a possibility. "All I'm saying is, it wouldn't hurt to actually think a bit before charging into battle," the Breton continued. "You keep going in swords blazing and you might get hurt so badly that we can't fix you."

Valkyrie simply nodded her head, eager for Celann's lecture to be over.

"Look, I didn't come here to gripe at you," he continued, finishing up the wounds on the Nord's face. "Isran actually sent me to come find you. I think he has an assignment for you."

"Oh yeah?" She raised an eyebrow, suddenly more interested in the conversation. "Recruitment or hunting?"

He shrugged. "Not sure. Just... be mindful when you speak to him."

"Why is that?"

"Remember how I told you he and I were part of the Vigilants of Stendarr years ago?" Valkyrie nodded in response. "One of them showed up here a few hours ago looking for Isran. So he's in a worse mood than usual."

"Lovely," she remarked.

As Valkyrie made her way up the stairs to the upper levels of Fort Dawnguard, her mind couldn't help but ponder why a Vigilant of Stendarr would come looking for Isran. The old Redguard had been a member of the order many years prior, dedicated to hunting down daedra, as well as vampires, werewolves, or any other abominable creatures that preyed upon the innocent. But Isran had left, dissatisfied with the order, his views and methods deemed too extreme by his superiors. And so he turned his attention to re-establishing the Dawnguard.

"Why are you here, Tolan? The Vigilants and I were finished with each other a long time ago."

As Valkyrie reached the top of the staircase, she overheard Isran speaking, presumably to the Vigilant of Stendarr who had sought him out.

"You know why I'm here," another voice spoke, his accent giving away his Nordic heritage. Valkyrie stood outside the doorway to Isran's room, unwilling to interrupt and undoubtedly anger her leader even more. "The Vigilants are under attack everywhere," the Vigilant named Tolan continued. "The vampires are much more dangerous than we believed."

"And now you want to come running to safety with the Dawnguard, is that it?" Isran replied with a venom in his voice that made Valkyrie wince. "I remember Keeper Carcette telling me repeatedly that Fort Dawnguard is a crumbling ruin, not worth the expense and manpower to repair." His voice sounded almost like a snarl now, his disdain for the Vigilant becoming ever more present. "And now that you've stirred up the vampires against you, you come begging for my protection?"

"Isran... Carcette is dead."

There was a long silence that followed, it seemed even Isran was taken aback by this news. "The Hall of the Vigilants, everyone," Tolan continued. "They're all dead. You were right, we were wrong. Isn't that enough for you?"

"I..." the Redguard stuttered. "Yes well, I never wanted any of this to happen. I tried to warn all of you." He stopped short, his voice lowering significantly. "I'm sorry, Tolan."

At last, Valkyrie made her presence known, stepping forth through the doorway. "Isran?" she questioned, catching a glimpse of the Redguard's hand clapped on the Vigilant's shoulder before he hastily pulled it away. "I'm not... interrupting anything, am I?"

"No," Isran responded with his usual sourness. "I assume Celann told you about the mission I have for you?"

"Just that you had one," she answered cautiously. "He didn't give me any specifics."

"Right," the Redguard sneered. "Tolan was telling me about some cave the Vigilants were poking around in. Seemed to think it was related to these recent vampire attacks." He turned back to the Vigilant. "Tell her about... what was it, Dimhollow?"

"Yes, that's it," the elder Nord turned to face Valkyrie now, a look of sorrow on his face. "Dimhollow Crypt. Brother Adalvald was sure it held some long lost vampire artifact of some kind." Valkyrie raised an eyebrow, nodded for Tolan to continue. "We didn't listen to him anymore than we did Isran. He was at the Hall when it was attacked."

"That's good enough for me," Isran nodded. "Go see what the vampires were looking for in this Dimhollow Crypt. With any luck, they'll still be there."

Valkyrie nodded, a slight flutter of excitement surging through her stomach. It had been ages since she'd had a proper field mission, and was aching to get out of the fort for a few days. "I'll meet you at Dimhollow," Tolan turned back to her. "I owe these vampires a debt of vengeance." Valkyrie was surprised. With what had happened to the Vigilant's friends and comrades, she would have thought he'd prefer to stay behind.

"Tolan, I don't think that's a good idea," it seemed Isran agreed with Valkyrie's sentiment. "You Vigilants were never trained for-"

"I know what you think of us!" The Vigilant cut the Redguard off, now showing a fury in his eyes. "You think we're soft, that we're cowards. You think our deaths proved our weakness!" Tolan stepped forward, getting in Isran's face, poking a single finger into his chest. "Stendarr grant that you do not have to face the same test and be found wanting." He turned back to Valkyrie. "I'm going to Dimhollow Crypt. Perhaps I can be of some small assistance to you." Isran smacked Tolan's hand away, and Valkyrie finally decided to intervene, stepping in between the two men.

"Fine!" She exclaimed, desperately trying to keep them from coming to blows. "You can come with me!"

There was a short struggle before Isran and Tolan finally relented. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Valkyrie?" Isran seemed to ask this more to the Vigilant than his subordinate.

"An extra sword arm between me and the vampires?" She replied, looking back at Tolan. "Yes please. Besides," she crossed her arms, facing Isran. "He knows more about the situation than we do."

The Redguard simply growled, never taking his eyes away from Tolan. "Fine," he continued, "But if you get one of my best people killed, Tolan, there will be Oblivion to pay."

As shocked as Valkyrie was that Isran had actually payed her a compliment, even if it was simply at the expense of someone else, there were more pressing matters at hand. She turned back to the Vigilant. "Let me gather my gear, and we'll leave immediately."

Tolan simply nodded.

7th of Morning Star, 4E 200

It wasn't often Valkyrie was thankful for simply being born a Nord, but if there was ever a time to do so, it was now, as her natural temperament against the harsh cold of Skyrim protected her from the chilling bite of the snowstorm she and Tolan were making there way through. From what the Vigilant had told her, this Dimhollow Crypt had recently been uncovered by a group of vampires after years of being hidden away, and it happened to further up the very same mountain where the Hall of the Vigilants once stood. And so, rather than risk being caught off guard, the nightwalkers took it upon themselves to destroy the Hall and kill everyone within. Tolan had barely escaped with his life, and with no further options, immediately came to Isran and the Dawnguard.

As they made their way up the mountain, the two had caught a glimpse of the destroyed Hall of the Vigilants. Valkyrie would have stopped to take a closer look, but Tolan had insisted they keep moving, that worrying about it would only serve as a distraction. She could tell that the Vigilant was grieving for his fallen comrades, but was unwilling to face it until their mission was complete. She worried that perhaps Isran had been right, that maybe Tolan would only be a liability, considering how his fellows had fared against vampires.

"Here we are," Tolan said suddenly, as the pair reached a narrow entryway carved into the side of the mountain. "Time to send these bastards to Oblivion," he growled, making a march for the entrance of the cave. Valkyrie stopped him, a hand on his shoulder.

"Easy, Tolan," she said, thinking back to the advice Celann had given her. "You saw what these things did to your friends."

"And your point is?" The Vigilant sneered at her.

"Let's go in quiet and slow," Valkyrie continued. "Keep your head down, but your weapon at the ready."

Tolan groaned, but nodded in response as he and Valkyrie stepped out from the raging cold, into the warm dampness of the cave, stepping as lightly as they possibly could. Eventually, the narrow entrance of the cave gave way to a large cavern, the light of the sun peeking in through a crack in the ceiling, and a massive metal gate sticking out from a wall the opposite side of where Valkyrie and Tolan entered. The two Nords stopped in their tracks when they heard voices.

"I'm feeling thirsty. Perhaps another Vigilant will wander in soon."

Tolan gritted his teeth, letting out an exasperated growl, reaching for his warhammer, before being stopped by Valkyrie, who put her arm in front of his torso. She brought a finger to her lips. "They don't know we're here," she whispered, and the Vigilant reluctantly backed down and the two deigned to stay low and observe their surroundings from afar.

"I wish Lokil would hurry it up," another vampire's voice made itself heard, this one female. "I have half a mind to return to the castle and tell Harkon what a fool he's entrusted this mission to."

"And I have half a mind to tell Lokil of your disloyalty," the male vampire spoke back.

"You wouldn't dare," she growled at him. "Now shut up and keep on watch."

Valkyrie and Tolan exchanged a glance. "How many do you see?" She whispered, squinting her eyes to attempt to get a better view. The female was leaned up against the metal gate, but she couldn't see the male anywhere.

"Looks to just be the two of them," Tolan hushed back. "And one of their damned hounds."

"Alright," Valkyrie said, pulling her crossbow off its harness. At last she spotted the male vampire, pacing back and forth in front of the female. "I can probably take them both out if I'm quick," she continued, placing a bolt in her weapon as quietly as she could. "Can you handle the Death Hound?"

The Vigilant unsheathed his hammer, ready to rush forward at the beast. "I've got it."

Valkyrie took a deep breath, taking aim with her weapon, before pulling the trigger and sending a bolt flying straight through the throat of the female vampire. She dropped to the ground, emitting a gurgling sound as she choked on her own blood, as the male vampire's hands began to crackle with electricity. As quickly as she could, Valkyrie loaded another bolt into her weapon as Tolan charged in. The hound made a pounce for him, but the Vigilant swung his hammer, catching the beast in the side of the head and knocking it out of the air. The remaining vampire immediately took notice, and fired a bolt of electricity from his hands directly at Tolan, catching him square in the chest and knocking him back against the walls of the cavern. This allowed Valkyrie the distraction she needed, as she pulled her trigger once more, this bolt going into the monster's shoulder.

The vampire yelped in pain, as the injured arm promptly went limp, the lightning fading from his hand as he turned towards the source of the bolt. His working hand fired another bolt in the general direction of where it had come, and Valkyrie couldn't help but jump as the bolt struck the wall just a few feet away from her. While the bloodsucker was distracted however, Tolan had reconstituted himself, and gave another swing of his hammer, bashing the vampire's stomach and causing him to fall to his knees. At last, Tolan finished the creature of with yet another blow from his hammer, this one crushing his skull, leaving only a bloody mess where the vampire's head used to be.

With their attackers dead, Valkyrie rushed over to Tolan, who seemed to be favoring his torso. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he responded, seemingly out of breath. "Just need a minute."

She nodded, making her way over to the metal gate the vampires had been guarding. She could just barely see inside the gate, and immediately recognized that it wasn't part of the cave. It was clearly man made, and it stuck out quite a bit from the natural, jagged surroundings of the cavern. The sight sent a nervous feeling through the pit of Valkyrie's stomach. "What is this?"

"This..." Tolan made his way to Valkyrie, a twinge of confusion and fear in his voice. "This is a Nordic burial cairn. What on Nirn could the vampires have been looking for in here?"

"I'm not sure, but it's probably not good," she replied. "You see a way to open this thing?"

"Yeah, here," Tolan said, pulling on a lever by the wall as the gate opened. Valkyrie cautiously stepped forward, keeping her crossbow in front of her, eyes darting around the room to make sure she wasn't surprised. Inside the burial chamber, there were several coffins lined up against the wall. There was little suspicious about them, until one of the coffin's lids broke open, falling to the ground and revealing a corpse trapped inside, rusty armor packed onto rotting flesh. Valkyrie's eyes grew wide when that corpse opened its eyes, stepping out of its coffin and charging right at the two.

"What the fuck?!" Valkyrie screamed as she loosed a bolt from her weapon. It struck the corpse right in the stomach, but did absolutely nothing to slow its movements. She instinctively began backing up, loading another bolt into the crossbow, when Tolan jumped in front of her, a wall of fire emerging from his hand as the corpse began to burn. It only took a moment for the monster to stop in its tracks and fall to the floor, motionless. Valkyrie stood motionless for a moment, her heart nearly beating out of its chest. She had expected vampires, but this?

"What in Oblivion..." she said, slowly stepping forward to make sure the corpse was going to stay down. "...is that?"

"Draugr," Tolan answered matter-of-factly. "Ain't you ever seen one before?"

"No," Valkyrie shook her head. "And I'm not sure I'm better off for it now, either."

"Well, we're probably going to run into more of them as we get further into the crypt," the Vigilant sighed. "I can handle the Draugr if you've got the vampires."

"Deal."

And so the two warriors made their way through the bowels of the ancient, recently unearthed Nordic burial tomb. In truth, Valkyrie and Tolan proved to be a formidable team. Most of the vampires they encountered were mere fledglings, and it seemed the Vigilant was far more attuned to killing normal undead rather than vampires. But as the tunnels continued, a nagging feeling in the back of Valkyrie's mind wouldn't go away. She couldn't fathom what these foul vampires would be doing in an ancient cairn like this, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know. All she really wanted was to get out of here and get back to Fort Dawngurd as soon as she possibly could. Eventually, after a few hours of navigating the crypt and fighting off vampires and Draugr, the two came to an imposing doorway. It obviously led somewhere, but something was odd. The statuary for this entryway was different than the rest of the cairn. It felt darker, more sinister than the old Nordic tunnels that had preceded it. Valkyrie and Tolan exchanged a glance before cautiously entering through the door.

The doorway led to a balcony, which overlooked another massive cavern. Down in the center was a massive stone platform with tall pillars on its edges, bearing the same statuary as the doorway, surrounded completely by water except for a bridge connecting it to a small patch of ground just below them. Valkyrie looked down, where she saw a shirtless man, covered in blood and bound and the hands on his knees. Above him stood two figures, which she assumed were more vampires. As Valkyrie readied her crossbow once more, a gasp from Tolan caught her attention. "That's brother Adalvald," he whispered.

"I'll never tell you anything, vampire!" Adalvald proclaimed to his captors. "My oath to Stendarr is stronger than any suffering you can inflict on me."

"I believe you, Vigilant," one of the vampires replied in a calm tone. "And I don't think you even know what you've found here. So go and meet your beloved Stendarr." With one swift motion, the bloodsucker spun around, his blade cutting clean through the neck of the Vigilant as his head fell to the ground.

Tolan gritted his teeth, grabbing his hammer, ready to rush into battle, but Valkyrie managed to hold him back, pressing a finger to her lips.

"Are you sure that was wise, Lokil?" The other vampire questioned as the two began to make their way across the bridge. "He still might have told us something. We haven't gotten anywhere ourselves with-"

"He knew nothing," the vampire named Lokil cut his accomplice off. "He served his purpose by leading us to this place. Now it is up to us to bring Harkon the prize."

Up on the balcony, Valkyrie's mind began to make a connection. "Harkon," she whispered to Tolan. "The vampire at the gate mentioned that named too. This Harkon must be the leader of their coven."

"And we will not return without it!" Lokil exclaimed. "Vingalmo and Orthjolf will make way for me after this."

"Yes, of course, Lokil," the other vampire said as the two reached the massive platform. "Do not forget who brought you news of the Vigilants' discovery."

"I never forget who my friends are," Valkyrie could almost hear the smirk in the vampire's voice with this proclamation. "Or my enemies..."

Suddenly, Tolan let out a roar, jumping down from the balcony warhammer in hand, and alerting the vampires to their presence in the process. "Damn it, Tolan!" Valkyrie cursed the Vigilant as she reached into her magic pouch, pulling out her Dwarven blade and resting it on her hip. She had a feeling she may need to resort to close combat in this fight, a suspicion that was only confirmed as it appeared Tolan had broken his ankle upon landing below. The Vigilant fell to his side, just in time for one of the vampires to reach him and bash him across the head with his mace. Valkyrie took aim with her crossbow, letting a bolt fly, but this vampire's reflexes were fast, and the bolt only hit the ground.

Valkyrie moved quickly, taking a staircase close by that Tolan had idiotically overlooked. The vampire rushed upwards to meet her, however, and took a leap, her powerful legs helping her to soar through the air, arm already in mid-swing. Valkyrie just barely managed to duck and roll under the beast, causing her to land right on her face, giving the Nord a valuable shot with the crossbow. But she pulled the trigger too quickly, and the bolt lodged itself in the back of the vampire's leg. It was promptly ripped out, causing a cry of pain from her, and the beast charged at Valkyrie once again.

In one fluid motion, Valkyrie placed her crossbow back on its harness, and unsheathed her blade, catching the swing of the vampire's mace in midair. They struggled for a moment, but the nightwalker was much stronger than Valkyrie, and her arms began to buckle. Before the steel could reach her, though, she delivered a swift kick to the monster's gut, who then stumbled backwards. But before the Nord could capitalize, a spike of ice hit the wall right next to her, as Lokil had made his way across the bridge and was making a beeline for her. She knew she was as good as dead against two vampires in close quarters, so when Lokil swung his quarterstaff at her, she managed to side step him, and then sprinted right for the bridge, heading for the center of the giant platform to give herself some room.

The vampires chased after Valkyrie after reconstituting themselves, and she took aim with her crossbow, letting a bolt fly directly at Lokil's face. The vampire dodged with ease, however, and it ended up lodged in his counterpart's forehead, who promptly fell to the floor, dead. Valkyrie drew her blade once more, preparing herself for an undoubtedly grueling duel.

The other vampire may have been stronger than her, but Lokil was faster. Much faster. Valkyrie took a swing of her blade at him, but before she could blink, the vampire was behind her, delivering a kick to her back that sent her crashing down onto her stomach. Lokil leaped into the air, the jagged end of his staff aimed at her throat, but she managed to roll out of the way, and the blade end met only stone. Valkyrie made a stab at the vampire's midsection, but he backed away, dodging with ease before smacking her blade away with his staff. The Nord stood up, her breath heavy, heartbeat even more so, and the two circled each other for a moment.

Suddenly, Valkyrie doubled back, retrieving her crossbow and taking aim at the monster. She let a bolt fly, but it was deflected by Lokil's quarterstaff. She loosed another, and another, but the same fate befell them. The vampire was just too fast for her attacks, as proven when he suddenly charged forward, crossing the distance between them in a seemingly impossible moment, but the Nord was ready. She swung her crossbow, battering the side of Lokil's head with it, which only angered the vampire. He growled, and a blinding ball of electricity began to surge in his free hand.

He fired a bolt at Valkyrie, which she managed to side step. Then another, which she rolled under. A third bolt, however, made contact with her gut, and sent her flying back into one of the pillars on the edge of the platform. Before she could regain her bearings, the blade end of Lokil's quarterstaff came flying at her.

The staff went straight through Valkyrie's gut, impaling her and trapping her against the pillar.

Valkyrie couldn't even feel her midsection. For a moment, she stood motionless, a mixture of shock and horror overwhelming her senses. She let out a cough, and the taste of blood came barreling into her mouth at full force, a splatter of her own blood dirtying Lokil's staff. Her legs began to shake as grabbed the staff, making an attempt to pull it out, but it was either embedded too deep into the pillar, or she was too weak to move it. Not that it mattered, because tampering with the weapon send an agonizing wave of pain up and down Valkyrie's spine.

"Hmph," Lokil remarked. "That was quite a good fight, mortal." He laughed, making his way to the center of the pillar. "You'll make for a fine snack on the way home."

Suddenly, the platform began to shake. Out from the center, a stone monolith rose up from seemingly out of nowhere, enveloped in a strange purple glow. The look on Lokil's face suggested that he had found what he was looking for. For a moment, there was nothing but silence as the vampire inspected the stonework. Then suddenly, the monolith opened, revealing inside to be...

A woman?

The woman inside the tomb fell outside, quickly getting to her hands and knees, letting out a fit of coughing, followed by a groan of discomfort. Her skin was pale, he was dressed in a regal garment that Valkyrie almost could have sworn she had seen before, if she weren't so focused on keeping her breathing down so as not to bleed out. There was also something attached to her back, but Valkyrie couldn't make out what. The woman slowly got up to one knee, and Lokil smiled.

"Lady Serana," he said, obviously pleased with himself. "How long it's been."

He began to step closer to this Serana, but she suddenly held up a hand, and Lokil stopped dead in his tracks, almost unnaturally so. He emitted some kind of noise that sounded like pain or discomfort. She raised her head to face him.

"Did my father send you?"

Lokil was silent for a moment before responding. "Y-yes," he stuttered. "Lord Harkon insisted that-"

The vampire never finished his sentence. Serana's open palm suddenly became a fist, and Lokil, to put it mildly, exploded. Where he had once stood, there was now only a pool of blood and severed organs. Serana slowly made her way to her feet, stretching her limbs all the while and groaning from discomfort. Valkyrie's blood ran cold when the woman suddenly looked in her direction. The Nord got a good look at the woman's eyes, she was indeed a vampire. Of course she was. By now, the feeling was beginning to return in her stomach, and it was agonizing, to say the least. Another cough forced it's way from Valkyrie's chest, more blood spewing from her mouth, and another jolt of pain coursing through her body. Serana made her way over to the bleeding Nord, a look on her face that almost looked like curiosity.

"That," the vampire remarked. "Looks excruciatingly painful."

Valkyrie said nothing. As much as she would have liked to say that she was racking her brain for some way out of this, the truth was that she was absolutely terrified. All her training, all the confidence that had been instilled in her had led her here. She was bleeding out in some dead cave, and completely at the mercy of a vampire. Serana smirked, leaning in close, her mouth almost touching Valkyrie's ear. This was what the Nord was afraid of. The vampire was going to sink its fangs into her neck and drain the blood from her body. Or worse, make her one of them.

"Hold still," Serana whispered as she promptly yanked the staff out of Valkyrie's stomach, freeing her from the pillar.

The scream that escaped Valkyrie's lungs sounded anything but human. She fell to the floor, her body unwillingly curling into a ball as she clutched at her gut, blood now flowing freely from her innards. The pain was indescribable, and at that moment, Valkyrie was absolutely sure she was going to die. She just wasn't sure if the blood loss would do it before the vampire did.

"I said hold still," Serana sounded annoyed, kneeling down as she forced Valkyrie's hands away from the gaping wound. There was a blinding flash of light, and a sensation in Valkyrie's stomach that made her want to vomit. When the light receded, her gut was healed, and the pain from the wound was slowly receding. Valkyrie was perplexed. Had this vampire, this foul bloodsucking scum, actually saved her life? After a short moment, Valkyrie made her way to her feet, wiping the blood from her mouth. She had absolutely no words for what was happening.

"You know," the vampire cocked her head, "When a girl saves your life, the least you could do is say thank you."

Valkyrie remained speechless, and Serana simply scoffed.

"Fine. Be that way," she crossed her arms. "So who sent you here?"

"I..." the Nord stuttered. "I'm with a group called the Dawnguard."

"Never heard of them," Serana remarked. "But from the look of things..." She began to circle around Valkyrie for a moment, as though sizing her up, the vampire's eyes darting over every inch of her, causing the Nord's blood to run cold. "Let me guess," she spoke after a while. "Vampire hunter. Right?"

Valkyrie stepped back slightly. "Yeah."

Serana just laughed, and Valkyrie only grew more scared and confused as time went on. "Of course you are," Serana began to back away, a devilish grin replacing the playful smirk she had adorned earlier, as two spheres of red energy formed in her hands. "Come on then," she said, motioning to Valkyrie. "Give it your best shot."

The Nord froze. After the state that Lokil had left her in, and after seeing what Serana was able to do to him, Valkyrie knew that if she were to fight this vampire, she would most certainly die an agonizing death. The two stood silent for a moment, before the vampire raised an eyebrow.

"No?"

"Well," Valkyrie scrambled to think of an excuse. "You did just save my life. I suppose I can let it slide this time."

Serana let out a laugh, the glow disappearing from her hands. "Smart girl." She walked back over to Valkyrie, still smiling. "And your name is?"

"Valkyrie," the Nord replied without thinking. Serana gingerly grabbed one of Valkyrie's hands, once again freezing the Nord with terror as she brought it up to her face and placed a soft kiss on her fingers.

"Serana," the vampire cooed. "Charmed." She let go of Valkyrie's hand, and the two stood silent once again as Serana crossed her arms. "So," she continued, "Are you just going to stand there like a knot on a log?" she leaned in closer. "Or are you going to escort me home like a gentlewoman?"

Valkyrie hesitated before answering. "I feel like I don't really have a choice in this."

"You don't," Serana chuckled. "But I'm sure you want to know what's going on here just as much as I do." She shrugged. "Help me get back to my family's home, and I'll have a better sense of where we all stand. And..." she rolled her eyes, before letting out a sigh. "I'm sure my father will want to... reward you for finding me."

"Fine," Valkyrie relented. "Just as long as you don't get in my way."

"I was going to say the same to you," the vampire shot back. "Let's get moving."